The Fuschia

• Two more counties in Minnesota realize the effects of Republican Satanic panic the voter ID law.  You'd almost think that was the intended outcome.  From Mercury Rising.
• On the energy front:
  • liberal japonicus (Obsidian Wings) links to an article in the Atlantic on alternative (renewable) energy sources and ARPA-E.

    So far, more than a dozen ARPA-E-funded companies have already attracted follow-up venture funding. They're very excited about 1366 Technologies, which has developed a new solar manufacturing process. Basically, instead of slicing silicon ingots like salami, which is a difficult way to make wafers and wastes a lot of silicon dust, they're creating the wafers directly from liquid silicon like pancakes, which could cut the price of solar panels by a third. The other big winner so far is Envia Systems, which has developed the world's most powerful lithium-ion battery; it could slice $5000 off the cost of the second-generation Chevy Volt. But there are all kinds of exciting projects: lithium-air batteries that could put lithium-ion out to pasture someday, wind turbines shaped like jet engines, electric transformers the size of a suitcase instead of a kitchen, laser drilling technology that could cut costs of geothermal wells as well as petroleum wells. We'll see what pans out.

  • Also from Mercury Rising, an intriguing link to an L.A. Times article on a possible new solar medium (I have exceeded my article limit at the L.A. Times, so I can't go directly).
  Sensawunda ON.
• ETA:  Tiger Beatdown's s.e. smith on Tea Party actions in Massachusetts and other attempts to suppress the vote.